Times of Change
by DuckGWR08
Summary: A retelling of the changes that occur in the series for BWBA in seasons 21 and 22. Based on the original episodes written by Helen Farrall, Michael White, Lee Pressman, and Andrew Brenner.
1. The Fastest Red Engine On Sodor

One morning, James arrived at Elsbridge in a sour mood. He was pulling a slow goods train to Crovan's Gate, and was not very happy about it. His brakes screeched as he came to a sudden stop at high speed.

"Trucks!" he grumbled. "Why must I have to pull trucks?"

"Hello to you too, James." said Thomas from the other platform.

"Hello Thomas." James replied snootily. "The Fat Controller is making me pull slow goods trains for the next few days. He says I've been too rough with the coaches!"

"I can see why." retorted Thomas. "You really shouldn't be braking so sharply like that. You wouldn't want to damage them and end up in a field again, would you?"

James winced as he remembered his very first accident, and then wheeshed steam indignantly. "That was ages ago, Thomas! Back when I was painted black and had those wooden brake blocks that caught fire. My brakes are much stronger now, and I was given my signature red paintwork! So good things came out of that accident, and I've been the only red engine on the North Western Railway ever since."

"Are you sure about that, James?" came a voice. Thomas and James looked up to see Toby puffing into the station with quarry trucks for James' train. "Have you seen Rosie lately?"

"Rosie?" laughed James. "She's not red! She's pink and white, which are rather silly colors for an engine if you ask me."

James then looked in disgust at the stone trucks about to be coupled to his train. "Dirty stone trucks are much more her sort of work anyway. Bright red engines like me have no place taking dirty goods trains." he rambled on.

Thomas and Toby looked at each other and chuckled.

"Well, she's red now!" chortled Thomas. "I just saw her this morning."

James was suddenly alert. "Red? Like me red? James red? Splendid red?"

"Not quite," remarked Toby. "But I saw her at the quarry yesterday, and she's now a lovely shade of maroon and cherry with fancy silver lining."

"With NWR lettering and a number too!" added Thomas.

James could hardly believe what he was hearing.

"Alright then…" he sniffed as Toby shunted his trucks into place. "I may not be the only red engine, but I am much faster! And fast red engines like me are much too splendid to be pulling trucks."

The trucks giggled when they heard this. "Too splendid!" mocked one.

"That's what you think!" guffawed another.

James left the station hissing while Thomas and Toby just laughed.

"Silly little engines…" he seethed.

James was further down the main line when he noticed a small goods train stopped at a signal. Upon seeing the engine's color scheme, he suddenly realized who it was.

"Rosie?" gasped James.

His brakes came on, but they let out the same screeching sound they had before.

"What an awful noise!" chattered the trucks.

Rosie winced at the noise as James stopped beside her.

"Hello, James!" she greeted cheerfully.

"You really are red!" remarked James, without bothering to greet her back.

"Yes, what do you think of my new paintwork?"

James looked Rosie up and down. He noticed the railway's lettering painted on her tanks and the number 37 on her cab. Admittedly he was impressed, but acted as if he wasn't.

"Not bad...although the other engines might think you're trying to look like me."

Rosie felt rather hurt at such a remark.

"No I'm not, don't be silly James." she replied defensively.

"Not so red now, squeaky wheels!" joked James' leading truck, and the others giggled in their silly ways.

"Why are they calling you that?" Rosie asked innocently, pretending she hadn't heard the noise before.

James blushed with embarrassment.

"N-no reason, you know how trucks are." he stammered.

Rosie shot him a worried look.

"So," James continued, "seeing as there are two of us red engines now, how about a race to see which of us is faster? Just to the next signal box."

"A race?" said Rosie, perking up. "That sounds fun, so why not?"

James was delighted with an opportunity to show off.

"Alright, so as soon as the signal drops, the race begins!"

At that moment, the signal went green. Rosie instantly noticed and pumped her pistons.

"You're on, James!" she laughed, speeding away.

"Hey, wait for me!" cried James, starting after her.

The two engines flew down the line. Rosie had an early lead from her head start, but James quickly overtook her. But Rosie was determined. They entered a tunnel with James leading, and were neck and neck coming out the other side. James was surprised to see Rosie putting up such a fight. They were approaching the next signal box when James managed to pull ahead again. Then all of a sudden, the signal turned red. Rosie noticed this and began to slow down.

"Looks like I'm going to win!" James teased triumphantly.

"James! The signal is red!" warned Rosie.

James looked ahead, and to his horror, saw Henry merging onto his track with a long line of trucks. His driver applied the brakes, but they just screeched louder than ever. James' trucks saw a chance for mischief, and surged against him.

"On! On! On!" they yelled.

James held with all his might, but his faulty brakes and the troublesome trucks pushed him on past the signal.

"James!" cried Rosie.

Henry looked back in surprise.

"James!"

"Oh no!" cried James. "Look out!"

Both engines shut their eyes, bracing for the crash. Then, miraculously, James' brakes finally started working, and James screeched to a stop just inches from the points. Henry let out a huge sigh of relief.

"You seriously need to watch where you're going, James!" he scolded.

"Sorry, Henry…" panted James.

Rosie pulled up sternly beside James. "Racing was not a good idea, James. There's clearly something wrong with your brakes. You barely managed to stop!"

"I'm sure I'm fine!" protested James. "Nothing a bit of oil won't fix, I'm sure."

"Or maybe we should drive…" whispered a truck.

"Good idea!" giggled another.

"You should really go to the Steamworks after delivering your trucks." continued Rosie. "Better to be safe than sorry."

James rolled his eyes submissively.

"Fine…" he mumbled.

Rosie delivered her trucks to Maron and the headed back to Knapford Yard while James continued on slowly and carefully to Crovan's Gate. By the time he arrived, he was late for his next train. He forgot Rosie's advice and insisted on hurrying back to Tidmouth to collect his next train.

"If we don't make up for lost time, the Fat Controller will have me pulling trucks for the next week!" fumed James.

"What about your brakes, James?" asked his driver.

"They haven't given me any trouble since the race." James sniffed. "Now come on, let's go!"

James hurried back up the main line. He passed Edward and Philip, who were chatting as they made their deliveries.

"Slow down, James!" warned Edward. "You're going way too fast!"

"Yeah James, way too fast!" replied Philip, pretending to be as important as Edward.

"Fast red engines don't listen to slow coaches like you!" laughed James as he sped by.

"You're going to crash again if you're not careful!" called out Edward.

But James just ignored Edward's warning. He increased speed as he began to climb Gordon's Hill. He soon reached the top and began coasting down the other side. Gordon was slowing down with the express at the bottom on the line next to him.

"Whoo-hoo!" cheered James. "Look at me now, Gordon!"

Gordon looked back and scoffed. "Showoff…"

But when James' driver tried to apply the brakes, nothing happened. He tried pulling the lever again and again, but to no avail.

"Oh no!" cried the driver. "The brakes have failed!"

James felt himself going faster and faster down the hill. "Oh no...oh no...I can't stop!"

James rocketed past Gordon at full speed.

"James, what are you doing?!" exclaimed Gordon.

"Heeeeeelp!" wailed James.

James sped round a bend so fast that he nearly came off the rails. To make matters worse, the swerve threw his driver and fireman out of the cab, so he couldn't reduce his speed either. He was approaching a level crossing, where Trevor was carrying a big cartload of hay across the tracks. James whistled furiously, warning that he was a runaway.

"Look out, Trevor!"

Luckily, Trevor managed to clear the tracks in time, allowing the gates to open and give James just enough room to pass. But the wind generated from his speed sent the hay in the cart flying everywhere.

"Why can't I ever take the hay in peace?" Trevor groaned as hay rained down on him. "First Donald and Douglas, and now this…"

James ran through Knapford Station, narrowly avoiding hitting Emily at the junction.

"Slow down, James!" she yelled.

"I can't!" wailed James.

All traffic was halted to prevent the runaway James from running into any more trains. He sped past Rosie in the shunting yard, still wailing and whistling frantically.

"Rosie! Help me!"

"James?"

"Please! I can't stop!"

Rosie pumped her pistons and sped bravely after him. But she wasn't fast enough to catch up. By now, the only way to stop James was to divert him away from the main line, and the closest diversion was Tidmouth Sheds. Fit to burst, James barreled over the turntable, into the berth, and smashed through the back wall. Bricks and dust flew everywhere.

"James!" cried Rosie, pulling up to the wreckage. "Are you alright?"

"Ouch…" James groaned as the dust settled. "I think so, but just look at me! I'm bruised, dented, and my paintwork is ruined!"

"Nevermind your paintwork, I'm getting help!" scolded Rosie.

As Rosie puffed out of sight, Diesel passed by with some scrap trucks. He gasped when he saw James in the wreckage, but then smirked devilishly.

"You've really done it now, James…" he chortled.

James gulped hard. Rosie raced up to Arlesburgh and came back with Judy and Jerome to lift James out of the rubble. As James was lowered onto a flatbed to be taken to the Steamworks, the Fat Controller arrived in Winston. He was furious.

"I told you many times not to show off, and now look what's happened!" he boomed. "You've ruined the sheds."

James felt awful. "I'm so sorry, sir…" he wept.

"But sir, his brakes were faulty." cut in Rosie. "He even went to the Steamworks to have them checked earlier."

James suddenly remembered and sheepishly glanced away. Rosie stared at him apprehensively. "You did go, right James?..."

"I'm afraid I didn't..." James squeaked under his breath.

"Oh, James…" The Fat Controller buried his face in his palms. James winced, suspecting he might be crying.

"If you cannot behave and continue to act so recklessly," scolded the controller, "I shall take away your red paint and have you painted a color that won't bolster your ego."

James gasped in horror, but said nothing in defense as the Fat Controller glared at him. "...yes, sir." he said at last. "I'm sorry, sir."

"I should hope you are, too." remarked the Fat Controller as he climbed back into Winston.

"I'm sorry, Rosie." James lamented. "I shouldn't have made such a big deal about you being red. I should have listened to your advice."

"Well James, for your sake I'd suggest being extra careful once you're out of the works." advised Rosie. "Otherwise, I may end up being the only red engine on this railway."

James just sighed in shame as Rosie took him away to the Steamworks.


	2. An Engine of Many Colors

James spent several days at the Steamworks whilst his repairs took place. He couldn't stop thinking about what the Fat Controller had said about taking away his red paint.

"Cheer up, James." said Kevin. "We'll have you back to work in no time."

"I know, but what color will I be?" James worried.

"Calm down, my friend." soothed Victor. "Repainting you is the last thing we'll do before you leave, so try to be patient."

"When I was young, the Fat Controller said he would have me painted blue if I didn't behave. Do you think he's forgotten about that?"

Victor sighed. "I'd worry more about being more careful so that you don't have any more accidents."

That night, as James slept, he began to dream anxiously about being repainted.

Thomas and Emily gasped as James puffed into Knapford Station.

"James? Is that you?" exclaimed Thomas.

"Of course it is." replied James. "Who else would it be?"

"Well, I couldn't tell with your new paintwork…" said Emily.

James looked back in horror to see a coat of NWR blue with red stripes.

"Oh no, I'm blue! I look just like Thomas!"

"Me?" laughed Thomas. "I thought you were Edward when you came in!"

Just then, Henry pulled into the station with Gordon in tow. Gordon was coughing and sputtering.

"What's the matter with Gordon?" James asked.

"He's come down with a severe case of boiler ache," Henry replied, "so I'm taking him to the works on my goods train. The Fat Controller wants you to take the express while he's away."

James was delighted.

"Me? Really?"

"Well you certainly look like an express engine now." remarked Henry, observing James' new paintwork.

James was flattered. Gordon, however, wasn't impressed.

"Fancy trying to look like me, little James." he retorted between coughs. "Try not to bump the coaches."

James just sneered back at Gordon. Soon, James was coupled to the express coaches and set off down the main line. To his surprise, the coaches felt much lighter than usual, and they glided along with ease.

"Pulling the express has never been this easy before!" he chuckled. "I can go as fast as I want!"

James was going so fast that he crossed the whole island in what felt like minutes. He rocketed through Vicarstown station, past a very surprised Spencer.

"Where do you think you're going? The express terminates here!"

"I'm going all the way to London!" laughed James giddily.

But as he approached the Vicarstown bridge, he gasped in horror to see that the drawbridge was up. He braked hard, but was going too fast to stop.

"Oh no!" he cried, shutting his eyes just before the collision.

James suddenly awoke panicking back on the hoist in the Steamworks.

"It was just a dream…" he panted.

"You alright there, James?" asked a workman inspecting his undercarriage.

"I'm fine...just a bad dream."

Just then, James noticed Henry through the window, passing by with the Flying Kipper. He noticed that the train was longer than usual, but Henry seemed to have no trouble with the extra weight. James took a deep breath and shut his eyes, already beginning to fall back asleep. But he began to dream again…

James entered the shunting yard to find Stanley and Percy shunting iron flatbeds into a long train. The tank engines gasped when they saw James.

"James?" exclaimed Stanley.

"You look like me!" remarked Percy.

"What are you talking about?" sniffed James.

He looked back and gasped himself to find he had been painted green with red stripes.

"I'm _green?_"

"Whatever happened to your signature red paint?" asked Percy.

"Never mind that, Percy." said Stanley. "Henry's been held up at the docks, so James needs to take this heavy goods train to Vicarstown."

"A goods train? Ugh…" complained James.

"You're the only engine available. Fat Controller's orders." ordered Stanley.

James looked down the long line of iron flatbeds awaiting him and winced.

"How am I supposed to pull all this? Henry's much stronger than I am."

"You've pulled trains just as heavy as the ones Henry pulls. This will be nothing to you, James!" encouraged Percy.

James just groaned as he was coupled to the train. But to his surprise, he got the train moving quite easily as he pulled out of the yard.

"Maybe being green makes me stronger…" thought James.

Soon, he was making good time up the line. As he approached Gordon's Hill, he noticed Rosie struggling up the gradient with a stone train. James smirked and increased his speed.

"Look at me go, Roise! Who needs to be red when you can be strong and green like Henry?"

"You best slow down at the top!" panted Rosie. "You wouldn't want to careen down the hill and crash again!"

But James just laughed at her warning.

"Whoo-hoo!" he laughed as he sped down the other side.

Suddenly, he noticed Edward with a train of tankers at the bottom of the hill ahead on his line. He applied his brakes, but his heavy train pushed him on.

"Look out, Edward!" he cried.

Edward looked back and gasped in horror.

"James! Slow down!"

"I can't!"

James slid down the hill with his brakes screeching madly, but was still picking up speed.

"Oh no, oh no, oh NO!" he wailed just before smashing into the brake van.

James awoke in fright again to find himself still in the Steamworks.

"Not another bad dream…" he fumed. "I don't think I'll be getting any more sleep tonight."

"Having trouble sleeping, James?" came a voice.

James looked back to see Kevin sitting in his rest area.

"Yeah...two nightmares in a row." muttered James.

"I'm really sorry to hear that." sympathized Kevin. "Whenever I have a bad dream, I usually just think happy thoughts until I fall asleep again."

"Happy thoughts?"

"Yeah, I usually think of the days when I've had a lot of fun." went on Kevin. "For instance, one of my happiest days is when I got to go outside during a blizzard and play in the snow! Well, until, I ended up getting buried and Victor had come looking for me…"

Kevin's rambling went on for so long that James ended up falling back asleep listening to them. But unfortunately, his nightmares were far from over…

James found himself pulling up to the Duke and Duchess of Boxford's summer house with Spencer's special coaches in tow.

"Ah, James. Just the engine we've been looking for." said the Duke. "It's awfully generous of Sir Topham to loan you to us while Spencer is being repaired."

"He even went so far as to have you painted this lovely shade of silver!" remarked the Duchess.

"Silver?" gasped James. He looked back to see his shiny new coat of silver paint. For once, he was delighted by his new color.

"Oh yes, now this is what I call looking splendid!"

The Duke and Duchess boarded the coaches, and James set off with a newfound sense of importance. He gathered up speed once he reached the mainline, and was soon going so fast that he was a mere silver streak. He saw Gordon up ahead with the express.

"Hey, Gordon! Don't I look marvelous?" he laughed as he rocketed past.

Gordon was furious.

"Stop showing off! We already have Spencer, we don't need another silver nuisance mucking about."

James just ignored him. As he approached Gordon's Hill, a radical idea flew into his funnel.

"If this is just a dream, then I can do whatever I want..." he said to himself, "...perhaps that means I can fly!"

James pumped his pistons and began to go faster than ever as he climbed the hill.

"Prepare for takeoff!"

As he reached the top, James left the rails and soared majestically up into the sky.

"Whoo-hoo!"

"James, it's getting rather jumpy back here!" called the Duke from inside the coaches.

"Oops, sorry about that!" chuckled James.

He then saw Harold the helicopter patrolling up ahead.

"Look at me, Harold! I can fly too! Just look at me go!"

And to show off more than ever, James performed two twisty loops around the helicopter. Harold, however, wasn't impressed.

"If you keep being so reckless, chap, you'll have another crash!" he warned.

James suddenly felt rather faint. His euphoric state dropped as Harold's words echoed in his smokebox.

"Another crash!" came a bunch of other voices in an unsettling unison.

James noticed a bunch of other engines flying up beside him. Thomas, Percy, Rosie, Edward, Henry, Emily, Gordon, Toby, Stanley, and Philip all surrounded him, glaring disapprovingly.

"Another crash...another crash...another crash…" they all chanted.

James was terrified.

"Oh no...oh no! Make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!"

Out of nowhere, Diesel appeared before James, only with glowing red eyes and a much more devilish grin than usual.

"Go on...crash!" he sniggered. "One more good crash will do it. It won't matter what color you are once you're **scrapped!**"

"S-scrapped?" James whimpered.

Just then, the coupling between James and his coaches broke, and he began to plummet downward. James screamed as Diesel cackled in delight. As he fell, a swarm of troublesome trucks surrounded and began to tease and taunt him.

"Down you go, down you go, one more crash before you blow!" they sang maniacally.

"Shut up, you stupid trucks!" James yelled furiously.

The ground grew closer and closer.

"I really don't want to crash again!" James sobbed as he braced for impact. "Wake up...wake up…wake up!"

When he opened his eyes, he found himself on a turntable that also appeared to be a color wheel. A large figure stepped out of the shadows, towering over James.

"Sir?!" gasped James.

There stood the Fat Controller, except he was ten times bigger.

"What did I tell you about showing off?" he boomed.

James cowered below.

"I'm so sorry, sir! I never meant to be so reckless! I promise I'll never do it again!"

The giant Fat Controller shook his head.

"Too little too late, James. You're finally going to pay."

"P-pay? What do you mean, sir?"

The Fat Controller said nothing. Instead, he spun the turntable with his hand. James screamed as he spun, with his color changing every second.

"Brown...yellow...green...blue...purple...black...orange...**aaaaah!**"

James awoke on the hoist, still screaming.

"James! James! Calm down, my friend!" eased Victor.

James opened his eyes to see sunlight shining through the Steamworks windows. He sighed a deep sigh upon realizing he was awake at last.

"I'm fine, Victor...just a dream."

"Seemed like quite a nightmare by the sound of it." Victor remarked.

"I really need to speak to the Fat Controller." said James.

"Yes, James?" came a voice.

James jumped to see the Fat Controller standing right in front of him.

"Sir! Oh, sir-" James stuttered, "-I'm so sorry for showing off and misbehaving. I promise that I'll do whatever you need me to do to make it up, even if it means being painted a different color…"

"Well, you do seem quite sorry, James." replied the Fat Controller. "I've thought about the subject over the last few days, and I think it would only be appropriate for you to remain the color that you feel suits you best."

James let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank you, sir!"

"However," the Fat Controller continued, "I'll only be allowing you to shunt and pull slow goods trains for a while. And we'll be monitoring your speed just to make sure you don't have any more accidents."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." agreed James.

"Now, I wish you a speedy recovery and hope you'll be up and ready to work again soon. The Pack is hard at work fixing the sheds, so I'd suggest personally thanking them for fixing them."

"Yes, sir. Will do, sir."

Although James wasn't looking forward to being restricted to slow duties, he was pleased that his signature red paintwork would remain.


	3. A Shed For Edward

After James' accident, the engines who slept at Tidmouth Sheds had to find other places to sleep while it was repaired. Some were more displeased with the situation than others.

"The indignity…" grumbled Gordon. "Count on James to ruin the sheds and leave me without a place to sleep."

"You're more than welcome to join Henry and me at Vicarstown." said Emily.

"Well, Emily, the express departs from Knapford in the morning, so I have to stay on this side of the island." sniffed Gordon.

"Well, don't forget that there's always a spare shed waiting for you at the waste dump!" chuckled Henry.

The other engines laughed while Gordon wheesed steam indignantly. Eventually, Gordon agreed to stay at Knapford Sheds with the shunting engines, while Thomas and Percy rejoined Toby up at Ffarquhar. Edward, however, wasn't sure where to stay. That evening, he was shunting in Wellsworth Yard when Philip rolled in with some oil tankers.

"Good evening, Edward!" he buzzed.

"Oh...good evening, Philip." replied Edward.

Philip could see that Edward was feeling conflicted.

"What's the matter, Edward? Why the long face?"

"Well, James ended up crashing into Tidmouth Sheds, so I don't have a place to sleep for the night."

"Oh, that's a shame." remarked Philip. "We did warn him to be careful though!"

"Yes we did." chuckled Edward, remembering earlier that day when James had sped past them.

"If it makes you feel any better, I've never really had a place to sleep either." went on Philip. "I mean, of course I've had places to sleep, but I've never had a regular shed to come back to every night. I try to sleep at the Dieselworks, but the bigger diesels usually take up all the berths! So I usually just sleep in one of the sidings."

"I'm very sorry to hear that, Philip." said Edward.

"Of course, there was one time when I did get back in time to secure a berth, but Diesel really wasn't pleased about me taking his spot. He bumped me against the back until I gave it up. I do wish I could stay with you at Tidmouth Sheds, you all are much nicer."

Edward smiled.

"You can drop off those tankers in the rear siding, Philip."

Philip shunted the tankers into the siding when he noticed an old stone shed at the back of the yard. There were two berths, both of which were taken up by empty trucks. He suddenly got an idea.

"Edward! Edward!" he called. "There's a shed at the back of the yard that both of us could sleep in!"

"That shed is mainly for trucks and coaches." said Edward. "It's kind of you to offer, Philip, but I'm sure I can find a proper engine shed-"

"Yeah, but if we just move the trucks, there are two berths just for us! There are plenty of sidings in this yard, Edward. Plus, if you were to stay here, you'd be right at the start of your branch line!"

Edward thought for a moment. He looked back at the old shed, and then at Philip, whose eyes were gleaming with excitement.

"Alright then." he said at last. "I don't see why not, if only for one night."

"Yay!" Philip exclaimed in delightment. "This will be so much fun, Edward. A sleepover, just the two of us!"

Edward finished his shunting while Philip cleared out the shed. When night fell, both engines settled into the old shed. Edward was looking forward to a good night's rest, but Philip was still excited and wanted to talk.

"Sure it's a little drafty, but with a little more work this old shed can be good as new!" bubbled Philip.

"I really don't mind, actually, as long as it means having a place to sleep." Edward remarked. "Good night, Philip."

"You know, James must have been being really reckless to have a crash like that. Almost as reckless as the time he came off at the bridge. Luckily, I was there to rescue him! If I hadn't been there, he would have fallen and gotten toppled by all those trucks he was carrying…"

Edward opened a sleepy eye.

"Eh, Philip…"

"Of course, in addition to saving James, there was the time I raced Gordon and beat him! Have I told you about that?"

"I was there, Philip. Remember?"

"Oh, right! Of course you were."

Edward lay helplessly awake as Philip chatted away into the night. He hoped that the little engine would eventually tire out and fall asleep himself, but Philip just kept talking away. Edward finally managed to get a few hours of sleep before waking up at the crack of dawn to hear Philip greeting him.

"Good morning, Edward! I was just talking about how I met Toby before you fell asleep. Anyway, we found out that we don't need to like the same things in order to be friends! How about that?"

"I really must be getting to work now, Philip." yawned Edward. "And good morning to you, too."

"This was fun, wasn't it Edward?" chirped Philip. "We really must do this again sometime."

"Uh, yes." Edward winced. "We must."

Throughout the day, Edward felt fatigued as he did his jobs. He took advantage of every break he had to rest his eyes. He knew he had to find another place to stay if he wanted to sleep well. He stopped by Tidmouth Sheds that afternoon to find the Sodor Construction Company hard at work.

"Hello, Edward!" greeted Alfie.

"Good afternoon, Alfie. Do you know how long it will take to repair the sheds?"

"Well according to Miss Jenny, I'm afraid it could take up to three weeks."

"Three weeks?" groaned Edward.

"Yeah, sorry Edward. We do have our regular duties to stay on top of as well. This job was a surprise for us."

"You're telling me…" grumbled Max. "Now quit dawdling and get me loaded already! Monty's waiting for me at the dump."

"Yes, Max…" muttered Alfie.

Edward decided it would be best for him to stay close to his branch line that night, so he puffed to Brendam Docks at the end of the day.

"Of course ya can drop anchor with us, matey!" Salty agreed enthusiastically.

"Oh, thank you." said Edward.

"We usually just sleep under the shipping company building."

"Just promise to clear the way when the first train arrives tomorrow." advised Cranky.

"It's so exciting to have Edward joining us!" bubbled Carly.

Edward, Salty, and Porter, and the cranes all said their goodnights and began to doze off. But Edward hadn't been asleep for long when he began to hear noise. He heard Cranky snoring loudly and Salty singing sea shanties in his sleep. He tried to ignore them, but just couldn't seem to focus on sleeping.

"Uh, Porter," he asked, "would you mind getting them to quiet down?"

"You'll get used to it." yawned Porter. "I had trouble sleeping myself when I first arrived, but now I can't seem to fall asleep without it."

Edward sighed and just tried to focus on the sound of the waves. The night passed and daylight came. Edward was only just starting to fall asleep when he was suddenly shunted from behind. He yelped in surprise.

"Well well well, what's this Ben?" came a cheeky voice.

Edward instantly recognized Bill and Ben playing their usual tricks.

"It seems as if these big blue trucks are in our way, Bill! What should we do with them?

"Oh, knock it off." Edward grumbled sleepily.

"Ah, top of the mornin', shipmates!" greeted Salty. "Just leave yer clay trucks here and Cranky'll take care of 'em."

"Huh?" replied Cranky, mid-snore.

"Fancy to see you here so early, Edward!" remarked Bill. "I thought you weren't supposed to order us about until ten!"

"Didn't you hear, Bill? Edward's shed got destroyed, so he doesn't have a home!" giggled Ben.

"I suppose I'll be off then…" yawned Edward. "Get back to the clay pits now, you two."

Edward pulled into Wellsworth to find Philip eagerly waiting for him.

"Morning, Edward! Where have you been?"

"I spent the night at Brendam."

"Well it doesn't seem like you slept that well. You should come back here tonight!" Philip suggested.

Edward really didn't want to spend the night listening to Philip's chattering again.

"Oh...well I have to be at Crovan's Gate first thing tomorrow, so we'll have to see."

Without saying anything more, Edward set off. Philip felt rather disappointed.

"Was it something I said?" he wondered to himself.

Edward decided to sleep at the Steamworks that night since his first train would be leaving from Crovan's Gate station.

"Have a good night's sleep, my friend." soothed Victor.

Edward shut his eyes, finally feeling like he would get some decent rest. But an hour later, he awoke to the noise of workmen hard at work overhauling James.

"Sorry about the noise, but the Fat Controller really needs to have James working again as soon as possible!"

James looked sheepishly at Edward.

"Hi, Edward…" he chuckled nervously. "Nice of you to come visit."

"Likewise…" Edward replied through gritted teeth.

Over the next few nights, Edward just couldn't seem to get a decent night's sleep anywhere he tried to stay. He tried staying at Whiff's Waste Dump, Arlesburgh Harbor, and even Hiro's Hideout, but just found a new disturbance to keep him up every time. His lack of sleep was unfortunately beginning to catch up with him. One day, as he was approaching Knapford, he fell asleep while he was moving. Then there was more trouble; he had run a red signal and was wandering mindlessly into the junction. Gordon stopped just in time to let him pass.

"Edward! Look out, you silly old engine!"

Men waved and shouted from the platform, but still Edward slept. The signalman switched the points for the yard. Percy was filling some trucks at the coal hopper when he noticed the sleep-puffing Edward headed right for him. He gasped and loudly peeped his whistle.

"Edward! Wake up! Look out!"

Edward finally opened his eyes and jumped in horror when he realized what he was doing.

"Whoaaaa!" he cried.

He applied his brakes, but it was too late. He bumped Percy under the hopper, spilling coal all over both of them and sending dust flying everywhere. When they finally stopped, Edward felt horrible.

"I'm so sorry, Percy!" cried Edward. "I fell asleep while I was going, and I never meant to cause such a mess."

"I forgive you, Edward." replied Percy. "It seems as if you haven't slept well these past few days.

"I haven't…" Edward sighed. "No matter where I've tried to sleep I always end up tired. I just wish Tidmouth Sheds will be finished soon."

"Well, Philip told me that you stayed with him at Wellsworth a few days ago. He wants to know why you haven't been back since."

"To be completely honest, it's because he won't stop chattering." confessed Edward. "It was very kind of him to arrange a place for us, but I really need my sleep."

"You should talk to him about it then." advised Percy. "I'm sure he'll understand. He really likes you, and looks up to you as a role model. Kind of like I did when I first arrived."

Edward smiled, remembering when he guided Percy around during his first days on the railway.

"Thank you, Percy. I'll do just that."

That night, Edward returned to Wellsworth. Philip was delighted to see him.

"Hi, Edward! I'm so glad you're back! You'll never believe what happened to me today. I just can't wait to tell you-"

"Actually, Philip," Edward interrupted, "I'd like to talk to you about that."

Philip was surprised.

"About what?"

"Well...about your chattering. Look, I really need my sleep, and in order for me to stay with you, I need for you to be quiet at night. Don't get me wrong, I like listening to your stories, but I'd prefer if you could wait until morning to tell them. After a long day of work, I just need to be able to fall asleep peacefully."

"Oh, well why didn't you just say so?" responded Philip. "I may not be that good at being quiet, but I can certainly try just for you, Edward! Of course, that means I'd have to find something else to do like count sheep or-"

"You certainly can try doing that now." chuckled Edward.

"Oh right, sorry! I'll let you have your sleep, no problem at all."

"Thank you very much, Philip."

Edward stayed with Philip night after night. He rested much better, and looked forward to starting the day chatting with the young boxcab. He grew very fond of his new routine, so fond that he almost forgot about going back to Tidmouth Sheds. Eventually, the sheds were finished, and the engines returned, including a recently repaired James.

"James would like to say something to you all." announced the Fat Controller.

The engines all looked at James, who blushed guiltily.

"I'm sorry I was so careless. I promise from now on that I will be a lot more careful and not show off as much."

"We're very glad to have you back, James." said Emily.

"Yes, and I hope you'll consider all of us the next time you feel like acting foolish." retorted Gordon.

"Welcome back, James." greeted Edward.

He then looked to the Fat Controller.

"Sir, I'd like to say something, if you don't mind."

The Fat Controller turned around.

"Yes, Edward?"

Edward took a deep breath.

"Well...I've been staying with Philip at Wellsworth these last few weeks, and...I've grown to become rather fond of it. And, seeing as it's right at the start of my branch line...I would like to request to move there."

The engines all gasped in shock. The Fat Controller was surprised, too.

"Well...I don't really know what to say, Edward, especially since you've lived here at Tidmouth all these years. But, seeing as you are happy at Wellsworth, and it is your branch line, then it's completely fine with me."

"You mean you're leaving?" frowned Percy.

"I'm afraid so." replied Edward. "I'm getting older, and would prefer to be closer to my work. Plus, Philip's still a young engine, and he's never really had a shedmate, so I think it will be good for him as well."

"But...you can't just leave!" protested Gordon.

"I think he can, Gordon." said Thomas. "It is his choice, not ours."

"Indeed, and this is a change I feel that I need right now." agreed Edward. "I certainly will miss you all, though."

"We'll miss you too, Edward." sighed Thomas.

"And we'll still see each other all the time at Wellsworth!" Edward told his friends.

None of the engines knew much of what to say, except for goodbye and that they would miss him. As Edward headed off into the night for his new home, the other engines just sat in silence. Thomas spoke up at last.

"Seeing as we now have an empty berth, I wonder if someone else will be joining us…"

"Too soon, Thomas." boomed Gordon.


	4. Forever and Ever

It had been an interesting few months on the North Western Railway. Not long after Edward left Tidmouth Sheds to live at Wellsworth with Philip, Thomas left the Island of Sodor in the middle of the summer to go on a big adventure around the world. He ended up coming back with a tank engine from Kenya named Nia. With Edward's berth empty, Nia moved into Tidmouth Sheds. Henry, seeing how Edward's change was an improvement, was now also in talks with the Fat Controller for a change of his own. In addition, the Fat Controller was preparing to purchase a new tender engine from the mainland. It was now autumn, and the engines busy were adjusting to the new timetables.

"Good morning everybody!" Nia greeted one morning.

It had only been three days since she and Thomas had returned. The other engines, who had grown used to having two empty berths opened their eyes slowly.

"Good morning, Nia." yawned Percy.

Emily and James looked at each other sleepily. Neither their drivers or fireman had arrived yet. Henry, however, was up and steaming.

"Good morning, Nia!" he replied cheerfully.

"Isn't it a beautiful day?" Nia swooned. "Just look at the beautiful sunrise!"

"Personally, I prefer clouds…" mumbled Gordon, still half asleep.

"Don't mind Gordon, he's always a fusspot before the fireman comes." Henry chuckled. "I must be off now, I'm needed in Vicarstown."

"Okay, see you soon!" peeped Nia. "Come on Gordon, it's time for work! The express awaits."

"I'm ready when **I say **I'm ready." Gordon boomed.

Nia felt rather hurt.

"He's still upset that Edward left." Thomas explained.

"It's been two months." retorted James. "He really should be over this by now."

"Yes, but Gordon has shared a shed with Edward since the early days." said Emily. "And I'm sure having a new engine in his place feels weird to him."

Nia now felt sad for Gordon. "Well, I do hope he and I can still become friends. Is there anything I can do to help him?"

"Perhaps you could fetch his coaches." suggested Percy. "It would help me too, since I have to finish some extra mail deliveries."

Nia perked up excitedly. "Very happy to help the both of you then!"

Later, Nia was at Knapford shunting the express coaches to the platform. Gordon was surprised to see his coaches ready and waiting for him as he backed onto them. Nia pulled up beside him

"Good morning again Gordon!" she greeted upbeatedly.

"Hello, Nia…" Gordon replied rather awkwardly. "...thank you for arranging these. Off you go now."

Nia sighed in disappointment and headed back to the yard. The Fat Controller, who had been standing on the platform, had seen everything.

"Come on now, Gordon. I expect you to be more polite to Nia. She's a very welcome addition to the railway who comes at a time when we need the extra help. Show some gratitude."

Gordon wheeshed steam sadly. "I know sir, but it feels so unusual to have her at the sheds instead of Edward. To have an engine from another country that I've never met take the place of someone I've known for decades is very unsettling."

"I'd suggest getting to know Nia then." advised the Fat Controller. "She and I had a long talk the other day, and she's a very kind engine who really wants to be friends with everyone."

"I suppose…" Gordon chortled pompously.

Soon, it was time for the express to depart, and Gordon set off, still feeling depressed. As he sped down the line, he couldn't stop thinking about how so much had changed over the course of only a few months. When he stopped at Wellsworth, he peered into the yard to see if he could spot Edward shunting. But Edward was nowhere to be seen.

"Hello Gordon!" came a high voice.

Gordon jumped and looked back to see Philip pulling up beside him with some milk tankers.

"Oh...hello, Phillip."

"Are you looking for Edward?" asked the little boxcab.

"Yes, do you know when he'll be back?" Gordon replied eagerly.

"Well, I don't know since he's at Brendam Docks right now. Maybe he'll be here when you come back!"

Gordon sighed impatiently.

"Have you met the new engine by the way?" chattered on Phillip. "Apparently she's from Kenya, all the way in Africa. Wow! I can't wait to meet her."

"Yes, Phillip, I have." Gordon uttered through gritted teeth.

"Oh, that's right! She sleeps at Tidmouth Sheds with you. What's she like, Gordon? Is she fun?"

But Gordon said nothing more as he left the station and went on his way. By the time he reached Vicarstown, he had managed to feel cross.

"It's not fair!" he complained to Henry. "Edward just decides to move away after years and years of staying with us, and then some new engine from halfway around the world takes his place! It's disgraceful. It's disgusting! It's-"

"Calm your boiler, Gordon!" scolded Henry. "You've been complaining about Edward nonstop since he left, and now you just can't seem to accept Nia. You seriously need to learn how to deal with change, Gordon. Otherwise, we'll never hear the end of it. Now _that_ would be despicable."

Gordon just pouted. "Come on Henry, don't you feel the same way? At least you and I will still be there together."

"Well, about that…" said Henry. "I've been meaning to tell you something."

"Tell me what?" sniffed Gordon.

Henry took a deep breath. "I'm moving out of Tidmouth Sheds too. I'll be staying here at Vicarstown now."

Gordon was completely taken aback in shock. "**WHAT?!**"

His yell was so loud that the sound echoed through the big station. Passengers and engines all stopped and stared.

"When did this happen?!" Gordon sputtered furiously.

"I've been planning this for awhile, and the Fat Controller agreed since most of my work now is based around here." Henry explained. "I've already told the others. I never told you because you were still so upset about Edward. I now have to tell you this today because tonight is my last night at Tidmouth. I was hoping we'd be able to enjoy it…"

Gordon steamed out of Vicarstown in a big huff. "This is an outrage...first Edward leaves, Nia moves in, and now Henry leaves! I'll be the only one of the original three left…maybe this will convince Edward to come back."

When Gordon arrived back at Wellsworth, he found Edward at the other platform with a small goods train.

"Oh Edward, am I ever so glad to see you!"

Edward blinked in surprise. "Well hello to you too, Gordon-"

"That new African engine has taken your spot in Tidmouth Sheds, and now Henry is leaving as well! You need to come back, otherwise I'll be the only one of the original three tender engines left!"

Edward sighed. "Gordon, Henry came to me first when he wanted to move. He said that having to commute across the island to Vicarstown every morning was getting tiresome. He wanted to be closer to his work. I encouraged him because I was happy that I had made the change. You, me, and him are three of the oldest engines on this railway. As we grow older, we need to take it easier so that we won't risk breaking down as often."

"I may be as old as you and Henry, but I still pull the express!" protested Gordon. "It may be a bit more tiring now, but I manage."

"There's still only so much we can do as we grow older." Edward continued to explain. "In fact, part of the reason the Fat Controller is getting a new tender engine is to help you with the express."

"Me? Share my express?" Gordon exclaimed.

"Yes, and with Henry at Vicarstown now, she'll probably be joining you at Tidmouth."

Gordon defeatedly wheeshed himself in a cloud steam. "So it really will be like this forever and ever…"

"You'll get used to the changes, Gordon." Edward soothed. "You just need to give them time. Nia and I have met and she's a very nice engine. I would suggest talking to her; she'd probably understand given all she's been through."

Gordon slunk back to Tidmouth Sheds early that evening. He sat alone and depressed in his berth. He watched as the other engines passed by with their evening trains.

"If I'm so old, then maybe I should just stay in this shed for the rest of my days…"

"Now I wouldn't recommend that." chuckled a voice.

Gordon looked up to see Nia backing into the berth beside him.

"What do _you _want?" he murmured.

"Well, I never really got the chance to talk to you today." Nia replied. "You were in such a hurry with the express."

Gordon just sighed.

"I can see that you are sad." Nia continued. "Thomas told me how hard it's been for you lately. I too, know what it's like to deal with change. In fact, I'm going through one of the biggest changes right now."

Gordon raised his brow. "How so?"

"Well, as you can see, I'm on a new railway in a whole new country! Before I came here, I was alone and without work. My old branch line in Kenya had shut down, and I feared that I might be scrapped. When Thomas came along, I decided to go with him because I recognized that change would be good for me. However, this meant leaving behind my friends in Africa. I was sad to leave and they were sad to see me go, but they understood. But moving does not mean we stop being friends; in fact, I just had my driver write a letter to my friend Kwaku to let him know how happy I am here on Sodor! We'll always be friends, even though we're hundreds of miles apart."

Gordon was impressed. "Wow...you're very brave to make such a big decision, Nia."

"Edward and Henry are some of your oldest friends, Gordon. Just because they are staying somewhere else now doesn't mean you won't still be friends. You'll still be able to see them all the time. I have my old friends, too, but now that I'm here on Sodor I've made lots of new friends! And I really do hope that you can be one of them."

Gordon now felt rather foolish. "I'm sorry I've been so cold to you, Nia. Old engines like me need time to get used to new things. I think that you're very kind and thoughtful, and I would love to be your friend."

Nia smiled. "I'm so glad we are friends then. And I hope we can both be friends with the new tender engine that will be joining us."

"That will take some getting used to as well." Gordon chuckled.

The two engines soon found each other chatting like old friends, and by nightfall the other engines had joined them for Henry's final night. Henry and Gordon told stories about their younger days.

"Did you know that Henry used to be so afraid of rain that he hid in a tunnel and refused to come out?"

"Is that so?" laughed Nia.

"Yes, and then he burst his safety valve and Edward and I had to take over the express!" smirked Henry.

"He also once ran into a ditch because he didn't want to pull trucks!" teased Thomas.

"Don't remind me!" sniffed Gordon. "But of course then I rescued you after you fell down that mine!"

When morning came, the engines bid their final goodbyes to Henry as he headed toward his new home at Vicarstown. Gordon felt the familiar wave of sadness creeping up, but took some comfort knowing that he would still see his friend often. Just then, Percy came bustling in from taking the mail.

"The Fat Controller wants us all at Knapford." he ordered.

"Whatever for?" yawned James.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I hope it's about the new engine!"

"Already?" groaned Gordon.

"We best go there and find out then." advised Thomas.

But that's another story.


End file.
